'Jesus Born Ya!' fills hearts

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

'Jesus Born Ya! A Jamaican Christmas Show' was a concert worth seeing for a variety of reasons.

And those who were on hand for the last of the three performances were treated to a Saturday evening of great entertainment, merriment and blessings, from the Kids of Father Ho Lung & Friends and Ministries of the Poor (MOP) Brothers.

Two members of the audience summed up the performances at the end of the show: "I was blessed," said Event Planner, a sentiment echoed by Rochelle Johnson, who is a first-time attendee to any of MOP's events.

And in the words of young Ermes Pita, "It was excellent. I like the dancing and I like Sammy." Pita was referring to one of the audience ticklers, 'Massa Sammy', performed by Father Ho Lung and Core.

Donning his traditional white robe and blue waist-band, Father Ho Lung, adorned in wig and boasting an expanded girth, became the villain who took and ate the dumplings from a vendor's soup pot. He refilled the pot with such 'delights' as scallions, shoes and socks.

When confronted, Massa Sammy said he was only adding flavour to the soup. The irate woman, along with her friends, told or sang him off in no uncertain terms, in an indisputable reggae beat.

But Massa Sammy was in the second half of the show.

Great first half

The concert really began with a spectacular first half. The first six songs were described by Father Ho Lung, who also co-emceed, as liturgical words, structured around how the MOP conducted mass.

Lord Almighty was the first. It was performed by the Brothers, wearing white hooded tops on their heads; they entered from the audience bearing lit candles on beautifully carved stands.

Next was an excellent arrangement of Our Father, which was just as wonderfully delivered by 11-year-old Akim (the children, like the Brothers, are referred to by their first names).

In Alle Hum, the Brothers who were making their first stage performance in this concert series, showed no signs of their debutant status when they sang and moved like seasoned performers.

And while the presentation of Gloria was spectacular with angels, in the forms of two girls suspended over a manger, Hosanna and Take and Receive were just as touching.

But it was Here I Am which provided the audience with the best testimony.

Also in the first half of the programme, young Joshua told the stirring tale of a boy who wants to be a hero by selling on the streets to make money for his mother and sister, in the song I Am Just a Boy.

The song Oh How I Love You with Music, best described as a love song to God, concluded the first half.

The second half, saw more performances from the children, but began with a combined performance of Come Lord Jesus by the three groups of performers: the children, the friends and the brothers.

Part Two was just as rich in message, lyrics and delivery as Part One. From the powerful rendition of Stand Still by Jamiele, the delightful performance of I Am a Shepherd Boy by Brothers Milton and John and the mento beat of Mary Heard the Word, performed by the Brothers and the children.

'Jesus Born Ya! A Jamaican Christmas Show' concluded with the calypso beat song titled Christmas is Here, and on the final note, the audience began their exit from the New Kingston-based Courtleigh Auditorium.

Later, after post-show activities such as praying, tea meeting and the taking of cast pictures, Father Ho Lung in a conversation with The Gleaner, pointed out that "when we just began, we began with small concerts, smaller than this, but still concert style, then we moved to the productions, then operas and now we have moved to this … we just wanted to do something different". Funds raised from events such as the concerts and all other such MOP events, go towards helping the "poorest of the poor".